COGMED Non-med help for ADHD?

[Russ58]

We have a ten year old son who was diagnosed with ADHD a couple of years ago. He takes stimulant medication (Methylin), and this helps quite abit, particularly with his hyperactivity. It also helps him to focus better. One of my friends has a daughter who is about the same age as our son, and she recently completed a five-week program to help her with attention and memory. The program is called Cogmed Working Memory Training. Do you think this might help our son?

[SL345]

I would like to see the evidence that you speak of - because everything that I know shows that Feingold's diet holds no scientific validity, even though some parents anecdotally report that it helped their kids. If you know of any double-blind, control group studies conducted by scientist's outside of the Feingold circle, please share it with us. It is well established that ADHD is a legitimate diagnosis that can have serious lifelong effects. Even though it may be over diagnosed in some circles, most people with ADHD are still never diagnosed or treated.

[SeriousSam]

I have to say that I haven't heard of this program but you may want to investigate the diet and programs started by Doctor Feingold.  Also there is a good deal of evidence linking the few real ADD cases that exist to diet.

Honestly though ADD and ADHD are two of the most over diagnosed syndromes that a child can be labeled with.  It is a big cash cow for the drug companies though.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

One of our readers in the Child Behavior Forum asked about this program. It is well worth investigatring, and the company's web site is very informative. The Training is not regarded as a substitute for medication, but it can be a useful addition to treatment and a useful non-pharmacological approach for children who display problems with working memory (with or without a diagnosis of ADHD).

[Russ58]

This program might well be helpful to your son. The five-week program takes place in the home, using a computer, and the child is helped by a Personal Coach. The Cogmed Working Memory Training is designed to train working memory (the ability to keep information in your mind for a short time, focus on a task, and remember what to do next), and children who display ADHD often do have a problem with working memory. The Cogmed Training can result in improved ability to sustain attention, improved impulse control and better complex reasoning skills. Generally, an initial visit at the office of a clinician who is licensed to offer the program determines if a child (or teen or adult, for that matter) is a suitable candidate for the program. The remainder of the program takes place at home, and the Coach helps out by monitoring the client's progress via the computer and making weekly telephone calls to the client's home. You can learn more about the program at their web site Cogmed.com. The web site describes the program, how it developed, research that has been conducted to develop and evaluate it, along with approved practices in many different states.